Shag rugs can be made by forming loops of yarn on a suitable backing material and then cutting the loops. In the case of the home craftsman, the loops may be formed manually, for example, by using a manually operable tufting tool of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,915. The loops are then cut with scissors to form the shag rug. Loop cutting with scissors is time consuming, difficult, and very tiring.
Various tools are known for cutting bands, packages, and envelopes. However, none of these tools are adapted for loop cutting, and they are generally difficult, and relatively costly, to make. For example, tools of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,230,620, 2,610,399, 2,434,639, and 1,268,997 provide a full channel for receiving the blade, and this adds to the cost of manufacture. In addition, the full channel complicates blade retention as shown for example by U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,620 where three separate screws are required to hold the blade properly in the channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,502 shows a safety box opener in which the blade is not mounted in a channel. However, this tool is totally and obviously unsuited for loop cutting.
Another problem with prior art cutting tools is that many of them are not adapted for use with commercially available blades. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,389,648 and 3,230,620 are exemplary of tools which are designed for use with nonstandard blades.